


We're Endgame

by ace23, Cloechecksmyflow



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fiction, Fluff, M/M, Magic, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Spirit Animals, because spoiler, blink and you missed it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-08
Updated: 2016-05-26
Packaged: 2018-05-12 12:08:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5665570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ace23/pseuds/ace23, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cloechecksmyflow/pseuds/Cloechecksmyflow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based in an universe where Niall can't stop laughing, Liam and Zayn are two pieces of the same puzzle, Harry is attracted to Louis, and Louis is not sure what he is.</p><p>Spirit Animal!au</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: Most of these things have been researched on, but remember that it's FICTION and we will handle it however we want to, so please stick to smart criticism. 
> 
> There's also a Spanish version that you can find in each of our profiles!! (También hay una versión en español que pueden encontrar en nuestros perfiles!!)
> 
> Enjoy :) Subscribe to get notified when we upload a new chapter!!
> 
> Ps. Let us know of any mistake you may find!!

Spirit animals date back to ancient history, when primitive tribes co-existed hand in hand with nature. Without a doubt, animals are sacred creatures for many, and each of them is different from the other, not only physically but also spiritually. Each animal represents a one-of-a-kind spirit; a way of being that distinguishes them from the other species.

The primitive man knew about them and learned to use their essences, combined with their magic, to help them get to their dead beloved ones. Magic travelled along a power network called Ley Lines. Over the centuries, the magic was drained off, and it continued to fade as cities were constructed over the Ley Lines and technology began to advance.

The last bits of said power were unconsciously used by spirit animals, granting them access to the human system. Without meaning it, the human race has been ‘taking spirit animals in their genes’, as a way of saying. It wasn’t until the end of the thirteenth century that these special cases were discovered, and it took up to the nineteenth century for the pure-human race to banish from the planet.

Nowadays, there is no one alive without a spirit animal. It is in the baby’s genetic the minute him or her starts forming in the womb, but it is not fully developed until the kid turns sixteen years old. Usually, within a family, there’s common specie, but it doesn’t mean that each member will have the exact same spirit animal.

 

 

In Louis’s case, his whole family’s spirit animals are related to wild felines.

He was eleven years old when he started to wonder. His mother is a wildcat, and he’d asked her about his biological father a thousand times already, but she never said a word, so there was no way for him to know which his possibilities were. He hoped he was something cool, like a lion or a puma. Louis knew he still had some years ahead until then, so he didn’t worry much.

His friend Zayn, on the other hand, was one hundred percent sure he would grow to become a fox, since that’s what his whole family was (not even kidding, both his parent and his older sister were foxes). Louis grew up in the house next to Zayn’s and their mothers were best friends since high school, sending their sons to the same kindergarten. Louis loved Zayn, and his favourite times were those when they would spend sleepovers at Louis’s house, both reading comic books until they felt their eyes shut.

Since they’d both turned thirteen, their absolute favourite hobby was skating. Louis’s uncle, who had grown to love Zayn as his own nephew, got them both skateboards for Christmas. They couldn’t wait long, so the next morning they took their new gifts to the local skate park right after breakfast. Once their protective gear (considering that the pads were uncomfortable over their winter coats) was on, they tried to stand on their boards, only to be on the floor the next second. Laughing, they stood up and tried again… and again… and again. When their bodies started to hurt, they decided to call it a day and go home to get lunch. They’ll have time to practice later.

 

 

“Zayn, unless you actually get on the board, there’s no way you’ll ever be as good as me.” shouted Louis from the middle of the skate ramp. His friend was sitting on the floor at the top of the ramp, with a note pad on his legs and a pencil between his lips. Zayn was a good skater, he’s spent months practicing, but Louis’s was a whole different story. He’s fallen in love with the board, and he’d never let it go. He’d go everywhere with his skateboard, even if it was just to Zayn’s front door.

“Nah, I’m okay over here.” replayed the boy.

“You are not fun, Zayn. What happened to you?”

“I’m just not as into skating as you are.” sure, he could stand on a board and he was quite good at it, if he could say so himself, but Louis insisted that he needed to practice more.

“C’mon, it’s fun. You know you want to. Please, Zayn. Don’t leave me alone with all this fun.”

And Zayn hadn’t realised until then, but the park was curiously empty. It was 10 a.m., so maybe that was the reason why there was nobody else but the two of them there. Zayn craved under his best friend’s pleading eyes and put his helmet on, grabbing his own board and catching up to Louis’s pace.

 

 

What none of them had noticed was the guy standing at the entrance of the park, with his gaze fixed on Louis and his jaw hanging lose, chocolate hair partially covering his deep green eyes.


	2. The Start of Something New

Louis finds himself once again in the park, Zayn sitting along the ramp, drawing while his friend practices a new trick he’s been dying to learn. It’s complicated, the hardest he’s ever tried, but Louis won’t give up until getting it perfect.

After school, the park would be full of older kids and some others who live in the neighborhood, and Louis feels somehow intimidated even though none of them pay him any attention.

Sliding down the ramp to gain speed, Louis jumps and tries to do the trick. Even though he makes it, his landing is a disaster and he ends up on all fours so as not to fall face first.

“Nice reflexes, eh?” one of the kids shouts. Louis ignores him and tries again.

It’s on his fifth try that he sees him. The guy doesn’t stand out by any means, standing next to the ramp, watching the skaters, nothing weird. But his eyes fixed on Louis, a calm and beautiful green, make him lose focus and fall, his attention on the stranger. He lands once again on his hands and knees, but when he lifts his head, the boy is nowhere to be seen.

 

This keeps happening day after day, and Louis can’t understand why every time the green eyed boy is nearby, he notices him. Wherever it is he appears, Louis turns his head and finds him watching him. Louis wants to get a closer look, but he doesn’t know how, nor does he understand why he can sense the boy’s arrival before it happens.

 

However, a month later, things change.

Louis is sliding on a handrail and unconsciously turns his head to see a set of green eyes on his side, along with other two he has never seen before. Louis’ heart speeds up and he falls off the board, hitting his back and head, which leaves him breathless.

For a few moments, Louis is completely confused; he doesn’t know who or where he is, his whole world spins and he wants to vomit. He believes he’s saying something, but he can’t even hear himself. All he feels is a hand on his shoulder, another one on his cheek, a pair of forest-green eyes which he’s trying to bring into focus and a voice tainted with desperation.

“Can you hear me? Are you ok? Look at me, can you hear me?”

Louis moves one arm and latches onto the guy’s t-shirt. Is the same kid, Louis feels tranquil for a reason, and he takes a deep breath to calm down. The boy moves his hair from his forehead, repeating his questions.

“Yes, I’m…ok… just.” The boy nods, helping him sit.

Louis calms down and hears a loud laugh somewhere near them. The boy keeps his hands on Louis’s shoulders, preventing him from moving too much.

“Do you feel nauseous? Should I take you to the hospital?”

“No, my nauseas are gone. My back is hurting, but it’ll pass. It always does…” Louis answers, slowly drying the tears he didn’t noticed were falling from his eyes.

“Do you want me to check it for you?” Louis blushes furiously and refuses him.

“I want to stand up.”

“Ok.” The kid takes both of Louis’s hands and helps him stand up straight.

“Thanks… I appreciate it.”

“Are you sure you’re ok?” Louis nods again and the guy smirks. “By the way, I’m Harry.”

“Louis.”

“They are Liam and Niall.” Harry signals to his back, where both boys are watching them. Liam is as tall as Louis, physically bigger and with a good-boy face, dark eyes and insecure smile. Niall keeps laughing lowly, and Louis could identify he was the same person who's laughed before.

The boy seems to notice what is going through Louis’s head.

“I’m sorry, but that was funny, mate.” He says with his red face.

“I can imagine. C’mon, I’ll introduce you to Zayn.” Louis says, taking Harry’s hand and slowly walking towards a standing Zayn.

From then on, Louis hasn’t let go of Harry’s hand.

 

Three years later, things haven’t changed that much.

After meeting each other, Louis and Harry have become inseparable. It may have to do with how perfectly their personalities seem to fit, or that their spirit animals are most likely felines.

At the age of fourteen, Liam, Niall and Harry were transferred to Louis’s school, which made them become closer friends. Louis and Harry more than the rest, and it wasn’t odd for them to spend the night at each other’s almost every day. Niall went on being care-free, Liam had the same good-boy face, and Zayn still liked to draw.

 

Liam and Niall were sixteen when their spirit animals revealed. Liam was a wolf, which didn’t strike anyone as weird given that, like Zayn, his whole family were wolves.

However, that didn’t change Liam, who still was shy and somehow clumsy. Occasionally, Louis saw flashes of wildness behind his eyes, but Liam didn’t show any signs of being able to accomplish a full transformation just yet. He was too young; Louis’s mom couldn’t turn completely until she was nineteen. Niall was only able to change his eyes, which was awesome (because “cheetah eyes are super cool”).

Louis couldn’t wait for his birthday, when his spirit animal would finally reveal itself and Louis could comprehend his instincts. He could at last be prepared for any change on his behavior, what kind of animals would he get along with, and which ones should he avoid. Even though Liam insists nothing changes, Louis knows he’s lying.

 

“I wish mom would tell me about my father, you know? Just so that I can know which possibilities I have. I’m not sure I want to become a wildcat… I mean, there’s nothing wrong with that, but… I feel like… it doesn’t feel right for me. Do you think I’ll be a wildcat?” Louis asks Harry from the floor, where they’re both lying and staring at the ceiling, heads next to each other but in opposite directions. Harry sighs; they’ve talked about this a million times.

“Not really. I mean, feline for sure, but not a wildcat. I don’t know why, but I know you won’t be one. You have feline instincts, obviously, but I don’t feel like you’ll be a wildcat.” Louis cocks his head.

“It’s not fair. You’ll be a lion, you already know that much. You don’t need to wait if you already know what you’ll become. It’s amazing. I wish I knew too.”

Harry’s mother was a lioness, and so was his sister.

“I’m not sure yet, Lou. I mean, my dad's a tiger. I may be a tiger too.”

“Well, whatever you turn out to be, it’ll be cool. I wish I was a lion, but I won’t. It must be really cool to have a mane.”

“It takes years for the mane to grow, I’m sure it’ll be short at first.”

“Thanks for ruining my fantasy, Harold. I appreciate that, really.”

“Do you think Liam will tell Zee how he feels before his birthday?” Louis whistles, appreciatively.

“That would be nice, I mean, they’ve been head over heels for each other for a long time now. I think Zayn doesn’t want to tell Li anything because he’ll be a fox, and you know that mixing species doesn’t always work. I believe he’s afraid it doesn’t result and he ends up losing him. He really likes him.”

“Liam likes him too, that’s why I think it would be great if he told Zayn. They could make it work. I’m sure of that.” Louis sighs.

“Would you make it work?” Louis feels the same panic that comes along whenever he imagines Harry with someone else.

“If it’s the right person, yes.”

Louis wants to cry, or sleep in Harry’s bed because it smells like him, and Louis can pretend Harry isn’t looking for someone else and he’ll make it work with him.

Around a year ago, Louis started to notice that his feelings for Harry didn’t necessarily scream ‘friendship’. When the green eyed one started dating a girl, Louis was jealous, causing their relationship to become a little tense. Harry was a popular guy; Louis knew he was surrounded by girls. He had some sort of magnetism and a particular charm that made half of the school go mad over him.

Harry didn’t notice, but Louis did, and his blood boiled with each girl Harry took by the hand and kissed, walking away from Louis. Sometimes Louis felt the need to draw a circle around Harry and growl to whoever came near them.

It was the closest thing to an instinct he has felt, the more animalistic part his spirit has shown so far. And it was merely an intention.

“When’s the next match?” Harry asked. Louis sighs again.

“A month from now. It’s the Winter Tournament, but I’m not sure if they’ll put me as a starter, since Jace is officially back.”

Louis got into the school football team on his third year, and stayed in the bench all that year. But he never lost hope and, when Jace got injured, he got his chance. Louis gave all he had in him the previous season, but he knows Jace holds the title.

Liam was also part of the team; he’s a winger, while Louis plays midfield.

“Of course, that title is yours, Lou, don’t you worry. And if that doesn’t work out, you can always re-join the High Jump team.” Louis whines in horror at the idea.

“Harry! I just did that to help them. They wanted to go to the regional and…”

“You were brilliant, Lou. You almost break a record, remember?” Louis murmurs an affirmation and turns his face to hide it in Harry’s hair.

The younger one smells of strawberries, cookie dough, pine tree and something particular that makes Louis want to cuddle into Harry’s side and purr. He closes his eyes and breathes lightly. Harry shivers. His hair has become darker and curlier along the years. Louis loves to intertwine his fingers in those locks and breathe the smell that makes him feel at home.

Louis relates Harry to safety, warmth and happiness. Every second they spend together makes the blue-eyed one realize just how perfect their relationship would be if they were a couple. Harry is kind and comprehensive, mischievous and brilliant, and he makes Louis feel unique and important, something Louis loves about him. Likewise, Louis makes Harry get out of his shell, always encouraging him to be himself and express himself, to pursue his ambitions. Maybe he idealizes Harry or the possibility of being together too much. He doesn’t know, but he would like to find out.

“You should go to prom with me, you know?” Louis whispers, but Harry was already asleep.


	3. Stomach tied in knots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hallo!!
> 
> Sorry for taking so long to update. Truth is I took my time to write and and Ari took her time to translate it (we take turns at writing/translating), but each had her crazy stuff going on, so...
> 
> Hope you enjoy it!!

“You should go to the dance with me, you know?” says Louis, but Harry’s already asleep.

Louis loved watching Harry sleep. Yes, it sounds weird and pervert like, but he couldn’t help himself. There was something in him, in the way his chest rose and fell with every breath that calmed Louis down. He didn’t want to wake him, knowing Harry had been sleeping less for being finals season, so he softly took him in his arms and lay him on the bed with all the care he could muster.

“Is time to lay off the pies, Harold.” He murmured, letting out a soft laugh. He sat next to Harry a couple of minutes, lightly touching his friend’s hair before getting up and leaving with stealthy steps. Luckily, last week his mother put oil in every door in the house, so closing the door without making a sound wasn’t a problem.

Jay was humming and cutting some oranges when Louis came into the kitchen. She knew his mum hides in there to run away from her troubles, but today she seemed to be in a good mood, he decided not to ask about it. Once he was by her side, he hugged her from behind and stood on his tip-toes to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Oh darling, you scared me!”

“I’m sorry, it wasn’t my intention.” He answered with a smile.

“Don’t worry dear, I know. I was planning on going up and bring some snacks for you.” Louis saw to his right a bowl with different fruits cut, ready to be eaten. ”Where’s Harry?”

“Sleeping. I didn’t want to wake him, a couple of extra hours of sleep won’t do him any harm.”

“Anne told me he’s studying really hard. You should take after him Lou.”

“I know mum, I swear I’m trying, but not knowing what animal I will be intrigues me so much and it’s so distracting.” He complained. It was true, lots of people at school already knew what animal they were, it was a mystery only to a few.

“Don’t even try, young man. I know where you’re trying to go with this, and it’s something I promised not to talk about ever again. Your time will come, you don’t need him.”

“Mum, it’s so unfair. I have the right to know what he was. I need to know.” Jay observed as her son’s eyes filled with tears as well as his bottom lip jutted out. She couldn’t help it: she opened her arms as an invitation for Louis to come to her in seek of comfort.

“Oh sweetie. You don’t need him. Believe me, that…thing doesn’t deserve to be in your life. You will be what you will be, and you’ll know in the moment you’ll have to.”

“I feel so out of place, mum. I start to feel things that I can’t explain…”

“Like attraction?”

“What do you mean by that?” Louis moved his head from where it lay by his mother’s collarbone and looked at her, with his eyes a bit reddened from the strength he was trying to suppress the tears with.

“Mothers can be very perceptive, love. Or do you think that I don’t see the way you look at Harry?”

“I don’t look at Harry in any particular way. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The boy tried to step away from Jay, rubbing his eyes, but she was faster and hugged him again.

“Louis, there’s nothing wrong with liking Harry. He’s a charming boy, the whole family loves him.”

“I don’t…” but Louis couldn’t go on, because in that moment a sleepy Harry appeared with his hair pointing in every possible direction.

“Lou? Your phone has been ringing nonstop. I didn’t think it was right to answer, so I brought it to you. It’s Za…Lou, are you okay?” Harry seemed to have noticed the situation Louis and his mother where in and it worried him.

“Everything’s alright, Haz. Nothing to worry about. What were you saying?” the blue eyed boy finally freed himself from his mother’s arms and walked to his friend, who hadn’t moved from his place leaning on the door frame.

“Zayn has been calling.”

“Oh thank you. I’ll go and see what he want. You can eat some fruit that mum cut up for us. They’re good.” He said taking a couple of apple slices and putting them in his mouth.

With that, Louis left the kitchen and dialled the number that appeared in his phone with a fifteen missed calls notification next to it. Zayn wasn’t a phone caller, he’d rather text. So what could he need?

 

 

Zayn was having a crisis. He had been at Liam’s house when it happened. They were playing videogames when his insides started to turn, as if his lunch was rotten, and he ran to the bathroom before he could puke all over the carpet in the bedroom. Liam followed him with worried eyes and, when Zayn shut the door with so much strength, he couldn’t help but get closer and knock, asking if everything was okay.

But nothing was okay. The dark haired lad looked at himself in the mirror and almost let out a yell of horror. A colour near golden had taken over his eyes, and his pupils had vertically stretched. He blinked quickly a couple of times, but he couldn’t erase the new form his eyes had taken.

Without thinking twice, he made sure of having his phone and keys in his back pocket and left as fast as he could. He gave Liam a useless excuse (“My parents need me at home, I’ll call you later”) while looking the other way and ran from there. He couldn’t let the love of his life (I bit over the top, don’t you think Zayn?) see his eyes in that form. Liam would hate him.

Zayn got to his house out of breath. He didn’t know what to do. Should he tell his parents right away? What would they tell him to do? So he pulled out his phone from his pocket and dialled the number he knew by heart. Once. Twice. Five times. Eight. Eleven. Louis didn’t answer his calls.

He gave up and went up to his room, dropping himself down on the mattress and stretching his arms to the sides. He could be unsure about a lot of things, but one thing was certain: Zayn had begun to become a fox.

 

 

Louis put the phone to his ear, hearing the ringing only twice before his friend’s voice came through.

“Louis…”

“Zayn? You don’t sound good, man.” It was true, his voice had never sounded so desperate and hopeless at the same time before.

“I’m not good, Einstein. Today I was at Liam’s and…”

“At Liam’s? Ha! Harry owes me ten dollars.”

“Nothing happened with Liam…God, would you let me finish?” Zayn seemed to be losing his patience, not being in the mood to stand his friend’s stupidity.

“Sorry, man. Go on.”

“We were on Liam’s bedroom when I started to feel sick. So I ran to the bathroom because I thought it was my stomach, but when I looked in the mirror…” the dark haired lad couldn’t go on with his tale, and Louis could clearly hear how the tears were choking him up.

“Zayn you got to calm down. Breathe with me. That’s it, in and out.” He relaxed a bit when Zayn’s breathing turned normal again. “There you go, you’re fine. Now, what happened afterwards?”

“My eyes, Louis. They were absolutely coffee coloured.”

“We’ve discussed this. Your eyes are honey brown, not coffee.

“You don’t understand. They were completely coffee. Well, something closer to Golden Brown, but still.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Louis…I’m turning into a fox.”

“What? That’s…that’s awesome, Zayn. Congratulations.” But the excitement didn’t seem to reach his voice. Everything was silent for a bit, until Zayn talked again.

“Louis? Are you there?”

“Yeah I just…mum’s calling me. Call you later.” With that, he hang up.

 

Louis was sad, disappointed. Another one of his friends that started his transformation. When will his turn come?


	4. A.M.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Most of these things have been researched on, but remember that it's FICTION and we will handle it however we want to, so please stick to smart criticism.
> 
> There's also a Spanish version that you can find in each of our profiles!! (También hay una versión en español que pueden encontrar en nuestros perfiles!!)
> 
> Enjoy :) Subscribe to get notified when we upload a new chapter!!
> 
> Ps. Let us know of any mistake you may find!!

Zayn looked down at his phone, perplexed. Wow, what a friend. Really.

He walked around in his room and obsessively looked at himself in the mirror, waiting. He knew he wasn’t going to turn completely just yet, but he still waited for something big to happen. His eyes remained normal for the rest of the day.

The next couple of days were torture. He felt his body changing: his eyes changed every day now, his hair turned into a brownish orange and the texture changed a bit too, always coming back to his natural dark brown colour when he calmed down. His parents noticed, and were in ecstasy about it.

“Another fox, Zayn! This is wonderful!” his mother said, but Zayn couldn’t share her enthusiasm. Not when Liam’s parents would know the second they saw him. So he avoided Liam’s house like the plague, and tried not to worry Liam himself too much, since he was trying to take distance. Liam could almost fully turn now, a change that had happened in the days that Zayn was going through his own crisis, which was strange in itself.

“It’s calling to me, you know? The wolf, it takes me by surprise usually, and it’s… sort of impossible to resist. Dad said it will happen until I can fully turn, and then I will be able to control it. It’s almost impossible to get out of control after your turn, and you’re always fully conscious. It’s awesome though, the other day I had sick claws, Z, the coolest.”

He shares all of this with Zayn, so happy about it and calm, and Zayn bites his lip every time he is this close to telling him.

Maybe they wouldn’t stop being friends, but their relationship would change notably, and a romantic relationship would be completely out of the picture.

Zayn is scared.

 

On the other hand, Louis has been the one avoiding Zayn. He’s the worst person in the world, but he had to.

Zayn’s birthday was around the corner, and Louis didn’t want to think about it. He was already turning, and Louis hadn’t even started. It was the worst.

His last solace was Harry, who still was like him, no changes yet.

“I know I’m the worst, Niall’s mad too. I just…I can’t help but feel so…betrayed, despite knowing he didn’t choose it himself. Nobody wanted to know their spirit more than me. And here I am, weeks later and still no clue.” He whines on Harry’s bed, Harry next to him, both watching the ceiling.

“Lou, give it time, okay? It’s not fair for Zayn, and not fair to you. And…what if when I turn sixteen, I start to turn too? Would you stop talking to me? Would you avoid me? I don’t want you to do that, Lou. I’ll miss you too much.” Louis turns, puts a hand on Harry’s chest, and smiles at him.

“You’ll be the coolest one, and I will envy you a lot, but not in the bad way. I won’t avoid you, never you, Haz.” Harry cuddles him close and Louis buries his fingers on Harry’s curls. He smells like strawberry, like his shampoo, boy deodorant, and something musky, like boy, like something wild too. It’s faint, barely there, and Louis feels a tug in his heart. “You’ll start soon, though. I can feel it…”

Harry shushes him because he’s trying to nap, Louis indulges him and sighs. He’s not ready to lose his best friend. Not at all.

 

Zayn’s birthday is quiet, like Zayn wanted. His family comes early to have lunch and leaves before five so he can have the rest of the day for his friends.

Despite Louis and him not talking, Zayn expects him to come along with Niall, Liam and Harry, Danny and Ant and Andy too, probably. He has beer and snacks he knows they’ll eat in half an hour ready. He’s ready.

He’s awfully nervous because his hair has been orange all day and it won’t go away. His eyes turn and come back time and time again, and he knows his friends will notice.

He’s happy Louis didn’t tell Liam about him, neither Harry nor Niall, or the rest of the people that know, but Zayn knows it won’t last. Not like this, when he’s constantly fighting his inner spirit.

It’s a lost battle. He’s planning on telling Liam tomorrow, if he’s not terribly hungover.

They arrive all together, bringing presents and laughter. Zayn enjoys them like is the last time they’ll be together, with this ease. He tries not to be dramatic but he already knows how it will end when Liam finds out. The entire group gets tipsy and end up playing truth or dare, which is never a good idea.

“Truth.” Says Niall.

“Have you turned fully?” Niall smiles.

“Nah, still too new. I can change my hair and eyes, and like, sometimes I can run like, really fast? If I feel the…like, electric current? Something like that, you feel it and you know it’s there, under your skin, more than ever. And to me, it’s the urge to run and hunt. My folks are always nearby when I bolt running, just in case I don’t control it very well. Liam? Truth or dare?”

Louis listens carefully, and knowing Niall can already do all of that, leaves him feeling a bit sad.

“Truth.”

“Same question mate.” Niall tells him. Liam sighs, as if it pains him to talk about it.

“I…I haven’t. My parents are worried because in my family it’s always within the first six months, they accept the spirit easily and turn. Just like that. But I haven’t. ” They all nod, and wait. “There’s time, but the most I can do is grow ears…over my head, and like, I can smell really good, my senses heighten, sometimes… It’s weird at the same time. Because wolves are really common spirit animals and are easy on the body and stuff, but I still struggle with letting it out. I’m scared, maybe, because I’m very instinctous? Is that a word?”

“Instinctive, Li.”

“Thanks, Zayn, I’m very instinctive. The scents get to my head a lot and I’m…scared to run and just get out of control too, so…” Louis watches him with a new intensity, all of them really. Zayn gulps, almost ready to cry.

Liam is scared of his spirit animal, just like Zayn. Maybe not for the same reason, but he could almost read the fear about Liam trying to hunt someone down. Someone like Zayn.

 

Later that night, when they’re all asleep, Zayn goes to Liam.

He is not asleep, and Zayn sighs while sitting next to him.

“So…not letting the wolf take over?” He whispers. Liam turns to look at him.

“Is…a lot to accept, you know? And these past days my wolf has been going nuts, properly trying to take over my head. I don’t know why, but is not my favourite feeling. I shake sometimes, when it’s too intense. What about you? Any sign yet?”

Zayn almost sobs when he nods, readies himself.

“You’re a fox then? Is that why you’ve been so weird?”

Zayn sputters, searching for an answer.

“Liam-”

“I think another reason why I can’t let the wolf in, is because our relationship would change. And I don’t want that. I don’t-I don’t want us to change, Zayn.”

Liam puts a hand over one of Zayn’s, and they look at each other, for long moments. Zayn breathes and sighs, getting closer.

“It shouldn’t change us. But your parents-“

“I know. I know, Zayn. But it shouldn’t…” he nods, and lays down next to Liam, getting closer, closer than how normally close he would be to Liam’s chest. He feels he fits there, and he almost whines at the knowledge that maybe Liam will let this potential go, these feelings go. Liam moves to put a hand on his waist and they look at each other for a while.

“I feel things for you. I hope you know, if all of this goes… just know I really-” Zayn puts a finger over his lips.

“I know. Me too Liam.” Liam nods and the lay there, until Zayn’s eyes close and Liam is moving to hug him closer, Zayn laying his head on Liam’s chest and Liam sniffing his hair, until they find the perfect position to just sleep.


	5. You'll Never Walk Alone

Engrossed in their little love nest, neither Zayn nor Liam realized they weren’t the only ones awake. Louis was stuck between Niall and Harry, all three of them laying on the sofa bed in the Malik’s living room. As it had been in the last few days, his mind couldn’t find a way around the maze it has created. He felt trapped inside his own mind and it was driving him insane. How could something as natural as his spirit animal be troubling him when it wasn’t even there? I mean, he knew it _was_ somewhere inside of him, but he wanted it outside and as soon as possible.

He felt Harry slightly stir next to him, and for a second he thought he had been thinking out loud, but the boy just turned over and fell right asleep. Louis sighed, images of the night flashing in front of his eyes as if they were part of a movie, including the saddening soundtrack and pitiful ending. He tried to remind himself the film wasn’t over yet, but there was this part of his mind who liked to reveal spoilers to him and it was screaming “you know how it ends”.

Louis didn’t like the concept of thinking for this exact reason: he felt his brain enjoyed playing sickening games with him.

 

And there he was: trapped among a loud-snorer, a curly, very-cute-looking boy and his own thoughts. Suddenly, he felt an irresistible pain at the pit of his stomach, clear translation for ‘I’m going to be sick’. He tried to push through the barrier formed by the sheets, but Niall was clinging to the fabric, so Louis found himself pushing him out of bed. The Irish teenager slowly opened his eyes and moved to let Louis through, noticing the hand clapped over his mouth.

When Louis reached the stairs and gripped the handrail, his head started to spin. _Pitiful ending. Sad ending._ He wished the voice would shut up, at least until he was somewhere else; somewhere safe. Somewhere like the bathroom.  

It turned out he wasn’t the only one awake. Zayn was walking out of the toilet in the exact moment went to put his hand on the handle. His friend may have seen the almost translucent shade of his skin, because he moved out of the way immediately. Louis had never been more grateful with Zayn in his entire life (he probably has, but he was too busy emptying his stomach to think about that).

He couldn’t see the worry written all over Zayn’s face, but he felt it through the gentle patting on his back. He should’ve suspected how weird it was supposed to be, since they hadn’t been talking lately, but somehow he couldn’t bring himself to care. He felt sick, hugged to the toilet with both arms, and his friend was soothing his pain as best as he could. There was nothing strange on that.

As soon as he was able to let go of the toilet bowl, he slaked back and laid his head on the edge of the bath. _He won’t love you._ He was sure his stomach was completely empty, not even the alcohol he sneaked before going to bed left. Both his arms were resting on his lap, his hands somehow found a way to intertwine themselves. _Who would love someone without a spirit animal?_

Zayn, as the good friend he had always claimed to be, slid until he was sitting on the floor next to him and took Louis’s right hand in his own. He played with his fingers for a little while till he decided it was an appropriate moment to talk to his friend. _Your best friend doesn’t love you either._

“Louis, I’m worried.”

The dizzy look in Louis’s eyes bored to his concerned one. _He’ll leave you._

“What are you worried about?”

“You.”

“Me? What have I done?”

“Well… for starter, you are laying on my bathroom floor, all lifeless looking. Scared the shit out of me, mate.”

“I’m sure it was just the alcohol.”

“I’ve seen you drink a whole bottle of vodka before. You can’t try to trick me telling me a pint of beer got you drunk.” He was right. Zayn did know him all that well. He couldn’t lie to him.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Z. I just… I can’t. My head is a fucking labyrinth right now and none of my thoughts are straight.” It took most of his strength, but he lifted a hand to cover his eyes, feeling like the hazel eyed boy could read directly into his soul.

“We already know not even your thoughts are straight, Lou.” His attempt of making a joke seemed to work just fine and half a smile grew on Louis’s face. He took the hand that was between Zayn’s and slapped him on the arm.

“Don’t be difficult, Zayn. You know what I mean.” _He’s playing with you, idiot. Don’t be so dumb._ He stopped middle laugh. Zayn didn’t seem to notice, so his smile was intact.

“Of course I do. What’s wrong, then?”

Should he be honest with his best friend, the one who is in the middle of the night sitting next to him, ready to listen to his pathetic truth? Or will he get away with telling lies? As much as he loved the boy, he couldn’t tell him the truth. _You already are a liar. It’s a drop in the ocean._

“What makes you think there’s something wrong? Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s absolutely fine.” _You can’t even lie well._ “Shut up”

He was meant to only think that, so his brain would stop talking, but apparently he said it out loud.

“I didn’t say anything!”

“I’m sorry, Z. I’m talking to myself.”

“Then there _is_ something wrong. I’m not buying it. What is it?”

“What do you mean? I’m okay.” The doubt on his voice was obvious, and he was sure Zayn noticed it, but he seemed to have second thoughts. He knows Louis a lot, more than he’d like to admit, so he knows when he needs to be left alone. At last, he massaged his temple with his thumb and pointer and closed his eyes.

“Do you promise you’ll come to me whenever you need me? Even if it’s in the middle of the night and your body decides to reject every single thing you ingested in the last few hours?” Even though he wasn’t looking at Louis, there was an honest smile across his face. He loved he could understand within a matter of seconds how to react to any situation. He loved Zayn. He’s the brother he’d never had. The only thing he could do was return the smile.

“Deal.”

 

The next morning wasn’t rainbows and unicorns for anyone. Niall started yelling at Zayn because ‘his face was too pretty for this early in the morning’ and he was in a bad mood (one would think alcohol wouldn’t affect an Irish pal); Harry felt gloomy and clingy, so he wouldn’t leave Louis side; and Liam just had to bear and cook breakfast for the four toddler-like boys. Louis, on his end of things, decided he wasn’t going to let his mind bother him for a while, dying to enjoy this morning with his friends as much as he could.

“Again, thank you, Payno, for doing this. We promise we won’t ever drink as much again.” Louis thought that showering Liam in compliments would get him extra pancakes. It was brilliant!

“That’s what you said the last two times, may I remind you.”

“Ugh, don’t go all posh on us now, Liam. It’s too early.” Niall had just appeared through the kitchen door with one hand on his hair and the other one holding his phone.

“I have the right to be as posh as I want since I’m the one making your breakfast. Unless you don’t want it, in which case I’ll be more than happy to keep yours to myself.”

“Don’t you dare, Payne. If you appreciate your life...”

“Niall, he’s not forced to do anything and yet he’s making all of us breakfast. Can you be a little bit more polite?” Apparently, Zayn wasn’t buying his bad boy act either.

“Yeah, Niall. Leave him alone.” Harry spoke from Louis’s shoulder. He was sitting next to the blue eyed boy, each on decoloured stool.

“What’s the matter with all of you today? He wanted to take MY pancakes!!”

“And I will if you keep up that attitude.” Liam tried very hard to repress a laugh, but something that sounded like a chuckle ended up leaving his lips. Zayn looked at him as if he was the most precious thing in the entire universe, and it was a feeling Louis understood slightly too well.

 

With Niall complaining about the jam not being the right flavour of strawberry and Zayn complimenting Liam after each bite, the five of them finished breakfast and did the dishes. Minutes later, they found themselves on the sofa bed, which they returned to its original position.

No one dared to break the silence. Harry was still leaning his head on Louis’s shoulder; Zayn had his head on Liam’s lap and his eyes were closed while the latest tenderly ran his fingers through his hair. Niall, on the other side, was staring at the scene in front of him. Should he comment on it or…?

“Niall, Niall! You okay, buddy? You spaced out.”

“Oh! Yeah, yeah. It’s the hangover, don’t worry.”

Liam started to open his mouth, but Louis beat him to it. “Guys, I’ve got it. Next time, we’re going to a night club.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hallo :D 
> 
> Our schedules are pretty fucked up right now, so cope with us!!
> 
> By the way: What would you like to read in the story? Any new ship?


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